On September 21 at the Steamwhistle Tap Room in Toronto, ON, Landon French, formerly the CEO of MMIC, announced that the Motorcycle and Moped Industry Council would merge with the Canadian Off-Highway Vehicle Distributors Council (COHV) and Power Sport Services (PSS).
French will assume the position of President and CEO of Moto Canada, the new organization that aims to become the face of the motorcycle and ATV industry in Canada.
In French’s presentation, he highlighted the importance of motorsports by indicating that the industry, which includes both on- and off-road motorcycles, ATV, side-by-sides, and mopeds, is responsible for generating approximately 1% of Canada’s GDP. As such a unified face, which will be represented by Moto Canada, would be a better solution than the three separate organizations.
Moto Canada aims to connect directly with riders, via the Moto Canada website and provide an increased awareness of the role of this all-encompassing organization. The incorporation of PSS will allow Moto Canada to bring increased awareness of the industry shows – The Mototrcycle Shows – which will return to the west coast this year.
The consolidation of the MMIC and COHV will provide Moto Canada with an increased focus on lobbying all levels of government in order to further the interests of both on- and off-road riders. The most obvious opportunity here is the goal of keeping off-road riding areas open to the public, which can use all the help it can get.
According to Landon, Moto Canada aims to further its reach by extending its membership to smaller companies and encouraging ATVs to participate in shows. As part of the organization’s outreach to the public, an additional goal is to recruit more mechanics, as the industry is currently experiencing a shortage.
The Moto Canada website, aims to provide a channel by which to generate conversations around safety, licensing, riding clinics and insurance. The end goal is, according to Landon, “to get more people riding.” Strategies to increase outreach and remove barriers to new riders are currently in progress.
- From Jason Thorpe
